"Nanay...."
"Hmm?"
"....andito na naman yung bata kanina.....may dala na naman syang laruan.....malaking elepante.....naiwan nga dun sa bangko e...."
"Ah talaga?"
"Opo. Pero di ko ginagalaw.....nakita ko lang po.....pero, Nay....ang ganda!"
"Wag mong gagalawin yon...."
"Opo....hindi po.....tiningnan ko lang.....di ko nga hinawakan e pero mabango...."
"Mabango?"
"Opo....mabango.....kahit sa malayo, naamoy ko!"
"Ahh....basta....wag mong gagalawin yon....hindi sa yo yun e...."
"Opo.....bakit kaya ang dami-dami nyang iniiwang laruan dito?....."
"Baka nakakalimutan nya lang.....nilalaro naman nya yata yung iba e...."
"Opo....gumagawa po sya building dun sa buhangin.....tapos, aapakan......minsan naman, kukuha ng stick dun sa may garden tapos ilalagay sa buhangin....parang puno ata....ewan....."
"Ahh...."
"....Nay....?"
"Hmm?"
"Bakit may itim sya dito.....dito sa may leeg....sa likod? Parang dumi....."
"Hindi yon dumi.....balat ang tawag dun...."
"Balat?"
"Oo....balat....parang ganito o, yung nunal mo sa braso mo....kaso lang, yung sa kanya, medyo malaki...."
"Ahh.....di natatanggal?"
"Hindi....nasa balat nya talaga yon.....yung mga nunal mo, di natatanggal yan....nasa balat mo...."
"Ahh.....may balat din ba ako, Nay?"
"Hmm...meron....dito sa may likod mo...."
= = = = = = = =
"Yaya!"
"Ano yun?"
"Yaya, did you see my elephant?"
"Anong elephant?"
"The blue one....with a green ribbon on the neck...."
"Ahh....yung bigay ng Ninang mo?"
"Yes...that one..."
"Wala ba sa room mo?"
"....I can't find it nga e....."
"Huh? Saan mo naman iniwan yon?"
"....I dunno...."
The stuffed elephant was a gift from his Ninang TinTin. Dickie slept with it for a few months and brought it with him almost everywhere he went. He brought to the abandoned house but forgot about it when he ran home after playing there the whole afternoon. He had other new toys and was becoming more interested in trucks and cars so he eventually forgot about the elephant
Meng was given permission by Nanay Ana to hold and take the elephant when the little boy didn't come back to the house for several months. In fact, most of the toys he'd left at the house were now "hers". Nanay Ana wanted Meng to return the toys to the boy but they didn't know where he lived. "...basta aalagaan mo yang mga laruan....at kung bumalik man yung bata, wag kang magpapakita, okay?"
"Opo nay...."
"Nay?"
"Hmm?"
"Ano po kaya pangalan nya?"
